Welcome to the internet home of Von Warterr Rottweilers. We are located in Quinlan, Texas. We are Warren and Terri Johnson and we are code of ethics breeders. Our kennel name, "Warterr", is pronounced "War-Tair" and is derived from the first part of my name (Warren) and my wife's name (Terri). Our partner and kennel manager is Jerry Scott. We are members of the Rottweiler Klub of North America (RKNA) and the Texas Rottweiler Klub (TRK) of which I serve as president. We purchased our first Rottweiler puppy in the spring of 1991. Since then the Rottweiler has been our passionate hobby. We are Rottweiler breeders first and foremost for ourselves and then for others who have an interest in owning a Von Warterr Rottweiler.

Here at Von Warterr Rottweiler kennels we strive to produce the complete Rottweiler. The goal of our Rottweiler breeding program is to create a show quality Rottweiler who is sound in temperament, beautiful in type, healthy in genetics, correct in structure, strong in drives, intelligent in mind, proven in pedigree, imposing in appearance, substantial in bone, powerful in heads, dark eyes, dark mouth pigment and with well defined rich mahogany markings. We aim to achieve this ideal through carefully selected line breedings and occasional out crossings when we feel that it will improve the genetics. We breed exclusively from European bloodlines and primarily from German bloodlines and in that sense we are German Rottweiler breeders. We follow the 1996 Federal Cynologique International (FCI) standard which allows us to still dock our puppies' tails. The FCI standard is the recognized standard throughout the world. In fact, the United States is the only major country that does not adhere to the FCI standard in its entirety. Our Rottweiler's pedigrees boast such world class names as Burgthann, Bleichstrasse, Bickesheim, Crni Lotos, Falconsnest, Gruntenblick, Jenecks, Lauterbrucke, Obergrombacher Schloss, Od Dragicevica, Schwaiger Wappen, Schwaiger Rathaus, Teufelsbrucke, Vom Calibra, Von Hasan Haus, Von Hause Neubrand, Von Hause Milsped, Von Der Scherau, Von Der Frankentanne, Von Der Crossener Ranch and others.

Our desire is to continue to improve the breed quality of the Rottweiler here in the United States and it is our privilege to provide responsible homes with a well balanced Rottweiler puppy that is capable of both winning in the show ring and competing on the sports field in either Schutzhund, herding, carting, weight pulling, agility or therapy work. We are proud to offer working, show and breed quality Rottweilers suited to serve as security and protection dogs. We do not breed for pet quality dogs which means we aim to eliminate faults that would disqualify a dog from conformation shows and also we aim to eliminate unsound temperament traits that would render a dog ineffective in working sports, personal protection or home security. We are breeding for dogs that possess the traits of courage, confidence, intelligence, high trainability and loyalty and can pass these traits on to their offspring in a properly managed breeding program.

When you purchase a dog from Von Warterr Rottweilers for personal protection and home security then you are purchasing peace of mind. The Rottweiler is a working dog! What makes the dogs we produce perfectly suited for protection and security? We call it "The Four C's"

1. CORRECT - Meaning the dog is in accordance with the breed standard in type, structure, size, cosmetics and temperament.

2. CONFIDENT - Meaning the dog knows it's capabilities and is sure of itself. Therefore it is not shy or nervous which would cause it to be a "fear biter".

3. COURAGEOUS - Meaning the dog has the inner constitution to perform its purpose of protecting in threatening situations. He will not tuck his tail and run but will engage an attacker and has the drive to remain engaged even through pain in order to protect.

4. CEREBRAL - Meaning the dog has the intelligence to perceive what is a real threat and what is not. This is the most important aspect of a true protection dog. The dog is not full of out of control aggression and therefore a risk to anyone and everyone. He has a proverbial "on" and "off" switch. The dog can take down a threatening person if needed but the dog can also calmly and safely watch security over children.

We take a scientific approach to rottweiler breeding and through concentrated efforts we are endeavoring to whelp litters that will prove to have strong bone and substance along with large headpieces with short broad muzzles. Extremely dark eyes and dark mouth pigments are a definite focal point when planning a Von Warterr Rottweiler breeding. Again, let me reiterate that we are laboring to produce a Rottweiler puppy that can successfully show in conformation and excel in the work, but that will be affectionate in nature towards its family while maintaining a protective instinct of its home environment. This loving and loyal disposition can only be developed by knowledgeably combining compatible bloodlines coupled with maintaining early socialization of the puppies. Therefore all of our litters are home raised and experience daily interaction with our family members as well as other welcomed guests. Also in order to develop the confidence level in each puppy, they are exposed to various surfaces, noises, and experiences during their first eight weeks of life.

When scheduling a breeding at Von Warterr Rottweilers we do not just assume the attitude of the typical backyard breeder that simply takes the route of convenience and uses whatever stud is available and affordable. To the contrary we use a scientific approach to breeding and carefully match the proper sire with the appropriate dam. Because breeding is not an exact science, due to uncontrollable variables, this system does not always give us exactly what we hope to attain but it does drastically increase the probability through a method known as line breeding. Line breeding can be defined as breeding two Rottweilers who share at least one common ancestor in the first three generations of their pedigree. Of course the common ancestor should be an excellent represenative of the breed standard that is known for consistently reproducing his or her desirable traits in their offspring.

When choosing a stud to use in the breeding of one of our bitches we intelligently scrutinize both the phenotype and the genotype of the potential sire as well as the dam. The phenotype is the outward physical appearance and characteristics of the dog. This alone is what most people base their decision on when selecting a stud dog to use. The problem is that they are failing to realize that every dog also possesses a genotype which is as equally important, if not more important. The genotype is what the dog looks like internally based on the gene pool that it received from all of the ancestors in their pedigree. Predominantly this genotype is effected by the three previous generations. Anything past the third generation is generally considered to be too diluted to strongly influence the dog in type or temperament. By using the method of line breeding one can greatly reduce the diversity of the gene pool that is being passed on to the progeny and by creating a more homogenous gene pool we are thereby enabled to better project the hereditary characteristics that the offspring of this mating will possess. This explanation is certainly and oversimplification of the process, but the point I wish to make is that though line breeding gives us no definite guarantees, it does allow us a better opportunity to possibly produce the kind of puppies that we have in our mind as ideal specimen.

Now the question that many ask is, "Why do we specialize in German Rottweilers and not American Rottweilers?" Many would erroneously argue that the only difference is that native born German Rottweilers have tails and American Rottweilers do not have tails. While it is true that in June of 1998 a law was passed in Germany forbidding the docking of tails on all breeds, except select hunting breeds, and therefore any Rottweiler born in Germany will have a tail, it is not true that tails are the only difference. There are major foundational differences between German Rottweilers and American Rottweilers and it all starts with the breeding program. German Rottweiler breeders must breed in strict compliance to the standard. According to the rules and regulations of the Allgemeiner Deutscher Rottweiler Klub (ADRK), which is the official governing body for Rottweilers in Germany, before any dog can be used for breeding they must first pass a breed suitability test commonly known as the ZtP, which is equivalent to the BST in America. The requirements for the test include: a hip and elbow rating concerning hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia, a BH degree in obedience, and a conformational evaluation that includes weight and measurements. The dog must be completely free of any disqualifying faults. The remainder of the test is to insure that the dog is sound in nerves and mind. The results of this test are published in an annual "Kor" book and becomes a permanent record that will follow the dog for the rest of his or her life and even thereafter. The report will also be printed on the pedigree of everyone of the dog's offspring. In addition to both dogs having to pass a breed suitability test before allowing to mate, at least one of the proposed dogs must have a ScH 1 title. Due to such stringent breed regulations the Germans are much more successful at eliminating inferior dogs from their gene pools. Therefore they consistently produce dogs that are superior to most American lines. In the United States, dog owners have the liberty to breed whatever quality of dogs that they choose. As a result the gene pools of American lines have been compromised with unstable temperaments, poor conformation and inheritable diseases such as hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia, entropian and ectropion, congenital heart disease such as SAS (Sub-Aortic Stenosis), Hypothyroidism, and a blood-clotting disorder known as VWD or Von Willebrand's Disease.

While we readily admit that there are some absolutely magnificent American Rottweilers that are inferior to none other and though we will quickly agree that there are good and bad traits in all bloodlines, including German Rottweilers, we have chosen at Von Warterr to breed dogs only of European/German descent because of the aforementioned reasons. Rottweilers, like all large breeds, are prone to hip dysplasia. In an effort to decrease the likelihood of this problem we only breed dogs that have received a certified passing hip rating from the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals here in America or who have been certified free of hip dysplasia by the ADRK. It is our firm opinion that nobody ought to ever purchase a puppy from a litter in which both parents have not been OFA'd. To do so is to promote irresponsible breeding. Besides having health certificates most of our dogs have proven or are in the process of proving themselves in the show ring and/or on the working field. Our dogs have shown successfully both in the German style shows as well as the American style shows.

Please enjoy your visit to our web site and take the time to browse through our various pages. If you have any questions or comments then certainly call or email us. We thoroughly enjoy talking about our dogs and yours. We do not claim to know everything about the Rottweiler but we are always happy to share what we have learned from our own experiences as well as the education we have received from others.

We especially enjoy helping those individuals who are newcomers to our wonderful breed. We can well remember how disappointing it was when we first started involving ourselves in the Rottweiler fancy only to discover that there were those who took advantage of our lack of experience and knowledge. The greed and dishonesty of some breeders who prey on newbies resulted in us losing thousands of dollars before we learned our lesson. Therefore we have dedicated ourselves to providing beginners with honest and helpful information.

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